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Does the new unibody MacBook suffer from the cracking issues?
- Thread starter adamlbiscuit
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maybe not a crack, but something new
I have had mine since the first day it came out, then slowly the bottom rubber thingy turned brown and now its bubbling, I am off to the apple store tomorrow.
http://i116.photobucket.com/albums/o39/molloydan/macbook_bulge2.jpg
I have had mine since the first day it came out, then slowly the bottom rubber thingy turned brown and now its bubbling, I am off to the apple store tomorrow.
http://i116.photobucket.com/albums/o39/molloydan/macbook_bulge2.jpg
I hate to say it but it looks like there might be a problem with the MacBook's I was just looking over mine to day and I see it is starting to crack by the hinge at the top part on the left side. I have to see if I am still covered and if so if I can get it fixed.🙁 I just looked at the pages be for and I can tell you my looks like the pic but I have it just on the one side. I think we are going to see more of this as time go's on. I have to say I am very disappointed by this I would have thought that Apple would have fixed this problem by now.
I just wanted to post I took a look at my MacBook again and I can now see a small crack starting on the right side.
i am new to this board. i own a white unibody, have had it since january, and noticed a small crack starting to appear on the right hinge of mine as well. should i take it into apple and see if they will fix it?
You can try but remember this if they do fix it they will most likely replace the hole top part of the case and screen. I don't know if you really like your screen or not but you could get a screen you are not happy with. That is the problem I have right now. I love the screen I have now and don't want to get a bad one or one I am not happy with.
I don't understand how apple lives with this issue...
I have the whitebook in my signature and I just sold a >8 year old Toshiba 1905-s303 with zero problems/cracks in the case and that beast was ~9 lbs... I also have a Sony Vaio TR-3a that is ~7 years old and there's no cracks on it and my eeePC is ~3 years old now (in my signature) and there's no cracks on it... but I worry about my whitebook and treat it with extra care every day due to this issue🙁
I love my whitebook and my iMac and much prefer to use them to my work or personal winXP machines but I don't like having to worry about my whitebook all the time...
I have the whitebook in my signature and I just sold a >8 year old Toshiba 1905-s303 with zero problems/cracks in the case and that beast was ~9 lbs... I also have a Sony Vaio TR-3a that is ~7 years old and there's no cracks on it and my eeePC is ~3 years old now (in my signature) and there's no cracks on it... but I worry about my whitebook and treat it with extra care every day due to this issue🙁
I love my whitebook and my iMac and much prefer to use them to my work or personal winXP machines but I don't like having to worry about my whitebook all the time...
This is definitely an issue. It happened to my son's machine. When I contacted Apple support it was clear that they were aware of the issue. They sent me to Apple authorised engineer who told me they were dealing with lots of them. They replaced top casing unit and less than two months later it is cracking again.
I think this is the worst product I have ever bought.
I think this is the worst product I have ever bought.
Well I am a newbie and I would apologize for bringing this thread back from the dead but since someone else already brought it back I figure I'll just make my post.
Add me to the list of people with cracked unibodies. I have had my macbook since Sept. and it has those exact same hairline cracks by both hinges. I most definitely didn't drop it, I almost never move it around unless it is securely in its case and I have never opened the screen all the way back let alone hyper-extended it. I'll be taking it to the apple store when I get a chance in a couple weeks most likely and hopefully they will do something about it.
Also the rubber coating on the bottom of mine is bubbling up / detaching for the second time (which is the main reason I want to take it into the store). The first time was a relatively painless experience, I just had to explain that I never used it on hot surfaces and they replaced the bottom for me, I assume it will go the same way this next time and hopefully the case cracks will be equally painless to get fixed. The cracks are actually the least of my concerns right now, that bubbled up bottom makes typing on a table annoying as anything what with the rocking back and forth.
I definitely wouldn't say this is the worst computer I have ever had, in fact I love it, but the physical case is proving to be rather irritating. :/
Add me to the list of people with cracked unibodies. I have had my macbook since Sept. and it has those exact same hairline cracks by both hinges. I most definitely didn't drop it, I almost never move it around unless it is securely in its case and I have never opened the screen all the way back let alone hyper-extended it. I'll be taking it to the apple store when I get a chance in a couple weeks most likely and hopefully they will do something about it.
Also the rubber coating on the bottom of mine is bubbling up / detaching for the second time (which is the main reason I want to take it into the store). The first time was a relatively painless experience, I just had to explain that I never used it on hot surfaces and they replaced the bottom for me, I assume it will go the same way this next time and hopefully the case cracks will be equally painless to get fixed. The cracks are actually the least of my concerns right now, that bubbled up bottom makes typing on a table annoying as anything what with the rocking back and forth.
I definitely wouldn't say this is the worst computer I have ever had, in fact I love it, but the physical case is proving to be rather irritating. :/
I have the same hairline crack in the same place, but my question is a little different...
What if I don't care? Is it going to eventually spread throughout the entire lid if I don't do something about it? Because if not, does it even matter?
Has anyone been living with the tiny crack for an extended period of time, or does everyone just rush to go get it replaced?
Because I don't want to go to the mall during the holidays, or go without my computer for even a day. I also have a gelaskin stuck to my lid that I can't replace, and that took FOREVER to remove all the air bubbles...
Okay, I'm rambling, cool story bro, etc.
Long story short: DO THE CRACKS SPREAD OR CAN I JUST IGNORE THEM?
What if I don't care? Is it going to eventually spread throughout the entire lid if I don't do something about it? Because if not, does it even matter?
Has anyone been living with the tiny crack for an extended period of time, or does everyone just rush to go get it replaced?
Because I don't want to go to the mall during the holidays, or go without my computer for even a day. I also have a gelaskin stuck to my lid that I can't replace, and that took FOREVER to remove all the air bubbles...
Okay, I'm rambling, cool story bro, etc.
Long story short: DO THE CRACKS SPREAD OR CAN I JUST IGNORE THEM?
I'm kinda like this too, I'm already planning on taking it in, but I figure if it does this every few months eventually it will be out of warranty / I will get tired of taking it in. Are the cracks just a cosmetic issue that won't really effect anything in the long run?
And the same for the bottom. Can I just pull the rubber coating completely off without it negatively effecting the computer? I don't care about sliding around or whatever, but like letting dust or moisture into important places.
sorry to break it to you bro, but it seems that the cracks do get larger.
I went home for the holidays and my moms macbook that she got in august has cracks that are about 2.5 - 3 inches long. these are much larger then the ones that are posted in this thread. It makes sense that the cracks would get larger though because the problem probably comes from the MB being too hard to open for the plastic case(maybe the magnets are too strong?), or the joint is too strong/stiff and it stresses the plastic too much when you tilt your screen.
If this is indeed causing the problem, then you can bet that the cracks will get larger. too much stress on the plastic will cause the crack, and the bigger the crack is, then the weaker the plastic will be. The weaker the plastic is, the larger the cracks will get. this story doesnt seem to have a good ending...
that is my logic.
Hopefully Apple will fix this issue soon.
Ingster
macrumors 6502
Slightly OT: I had my 'crackbook' since 2007, every 6-9 months i have had to replace the top case, always done free of charge at my nearest apple store (50 mile round trip) a few weeks ago i noticed cracks again, and upon closer inspection the bezel around the screen was cracked too, now i use my macbook every day but i take good care of it, and the cracks still developed, decided to ring apple because i was worried that soon they will not be making top cases for the 2007 models (has apple icon on command button) i explained everything to the Rep, he put me on hold whilst he spoke to a senior advisor, then i was passed to a customer relations manager, they were lovely and took account of the times i had been in with repairs, the distance travelled and the inconvienience (plus my TC had gone kaput and was being replaced with data transfer) so they infomed me that (after seeing the pictures of the cracks) they could replace my 2007 macbook with a new 2010 macbook unibody, fantastic! Although it didn't have firewire (i have a few HDD's which run on firewire) so they gave me a 13" MBP 😱
Fantastic customer service from apple, the new MBP runs like a dream, loving it!
Fantastic customer service from apple, the new MBP runs like a dream, loving it!
i have the same issue
i bought a polycarb unibody last september. a few weeks before christmas i noticed a crack at the hinge
i brought it to the store and a week later i had a new screen
two days ago i noticed that both sides are now cracked at the hinge
as far as i understand it its a bad idea to have a corner like that with no radius and that any force being experienced by the surrounding area will focus on the sharp corner.
if you open the lid fully you will see that the bits of screen either side of the lid are not what stops it from opening further. so i dont think that that is the problem.
i think it is caused purely by the sharp corner located at the hinge.
i bought a polycarb unibody last september. a few weeks before christmas i noticed a crack at the hinge
i brought it to the store and a week later i had a new screen
two days ago i noticed that both sides are now cracked at the hinge
as far as i understand it its a bad idea to have a corner like that with no radius and that any force being experienced by the surrounding area will focus on the sharp corner.
if you open the lid fully you will see that the bits of screen either side of the lid are not what stops it from opening further. so i dont think that that is the problem.
i think it is caused purely by the sharp corner located at the hinge.
msjones
macrumors 6502
Are apple still replacing the cracked palm rests on the old MB's?
I have a mid 2009 macbook and the palm rest front edge is cracking. I have an appointment at the genius bar on Friday to see as I have been told they are still replacing them, but I'm a little skeptical since its last gen casings and im out of apple care.
I have a mid 2009 macbook and the palm rest front edge is cracking. I have an appointment at the genius bar on Friday to see as I have been told they are still replacing them, but I'm a little skeptical since its last gen casings and im out of apple care.
DewGuy1999
macrumors 68040
Apparently they are still replacing them, even when outside of AppleCare coverage, it's a known defect.
msjones
macrumors 6502
This is good news. Other than the palm rest my MB is in fantastic condition. I wont be needing an upgrade for a long time yet.... well maybe if the upgrade the white MB's to i3 🙂
Thanks!
DewGuy1999
macrumors 68040
More cracks
I'm the Mac admin for the school district I teach in. This morning I first noticed the hinge cracks in my Macbook. The district got about 70 of these in August of '10 (Remote desktop over the WAN rocks). I checked throughout the day and 7 had the cracks. There is no rhyme or reason as to whose were cracked and whose weren't. I was starting to wonder if it was a batch issue or something. I can guarantee mine has never been dropped, doesn't get the screen slammed shut or opened roughly and I don't ever carry an LCD by the screen.
I know the Network admin isn't going to like hearing of this problem. Anyone have the details on the fix? Or does it go into a back room at the Apple Store and comes back fixed?
Mark
I'm the Mac admin for the school district I teach in. This morning I first noticed the hinge cracks in my Macbook. The district got about 70 of these in August of '10 (Remote desktop over the WAN rocks). I checked throughout the day and 7 had the cracks. There is no rhyme or reason as to whose were cracked and whose weren't. I was starting to wonder if it was a batch issue or something. I can guarantee mine has never been dropped, doesn't get the screen slammed shut or opened roughly and I don't ever carry an LCD by the screen.
I know the Network admin isn't going to like hearing of this problem. Anyone have the details on the fix? Or does it go into a back room at the Apple Store and comes back fixed?
Mark
McGiord
macrumors 601
It seems to be a design problem as many units show the cracks. Even it is a quality problem the only way to temporarily fix it is by replacing the cracked parts.
I say it is a design issue because when they replace the top case, after some time the cracks reappear. If it was a dimensional/plastic properties type of problem, if the spare parts used didn't have the conditions the "repaired" Mac shouldn't show the cracks later on.
Either way it is Apple and the manufacturer responsibility to deliver good products.
The Aluminum 13" MacBooks are not that far away in price and specs and should be the replacement.
I am never going to buy any other cheap plastic product from Apple, the iPhone 3G and 3Gs suffered from a similar defect.
Call your Apple rep and they should help you all the way to fix this, and once they repair them ask them to confirm to you for how long will they be covered against this type of problem, and try to see if they give you Aluminum ones.
My late '09 Macbook has the cracks by the hinges too. I've had it since December of '09, and recently the rubber bottom started peeling off (pretty badly). I am out of Applecare, but I took it in anyway and they said they're replace the bottom free of charge. He then noticed the cracks and said they could replace the display, but since I'm out of Applecare it would cost me.
I've babied this thing and it's kind of disappointing that this does seem to be a known issue and they won't take care of it. I guess it is my fault for forgetting to renew my Applecare by the deadline...
I've babied this thing and it's kind of disappointing that this does seem to be a known issue and they won't take care of it. I guess it is my fault for forgetting to renew my Applecare by the deadline...
Unibody Crack
I am having the same issue with the hinge cracks on both sides. For now they appear cosmetic; my real issue is a crack to the left of my keyboard starting from the ethernet port and extending almost all the way to where the keyboard starts. I have not dropped my macbook, or abused it in any way.
I am having the same issue with the hinge cracks on both sides. For now they appear cosmetic; my real issue is a crack to the left of my keyboard starting from the ethernet port and extending almost all the way to where the keyboard starts. I have not dropped my macbook, or abused it in any way.